Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Concentra Health Services, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
496 F.3d 773 (2007)
- Written by Arlyn Katen, JD
Facts
Charles Horn filed a claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (plaintiff). The EEOC sued Concentra Health Services, Inc. (Concentra) (defendant) on Horn’s behalf in federal court and originally raised a brief one-page complaint, alleging that Concentra terminated Horn in retaliation against Horn’s human-resources complaint that Horn’s “female supervisor gave a male subordinate, with whom she was having an inappropriate sexual relationship, preferential treatment over similarly situated employees.” The district court dismissed the EEOC’s complaint, reasoning that Horn did not reasonably believe that he was engaging in protected Title VII activity when Horn reported his supervisor’s affair. The EEOC then amended its complaint by replacing its description of Horn’s human-resources complaint with a broader claim that Concentra engaged in unlawful employment practices that included retaliating against Horn after Horn reported workplace conduct to human resources “that he objectively and reasonably believed in good faith violated Title VII.” The district court then dismissed the EEOC’s amended complaint, reasoning that (1) the complaint was supported by insufficient facts because it did not specify what conduct Horn believed violated Title VII and (2) the EEOC is bound by the content of the original EEOC charge and must plead itself out of court again. The EEOC appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cudahy, J.)
Concurrence (Flaum, J.)
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